Sharing is Caring 12: Triolet on a Line Apocryphally Attributed to Martin Luther

Why should the Devil get all the good tunes,
The booze and the neon and Saturday night,
The swaying in darkness, the lovers like spoons?
Why should the Devil get all the good tunes?
Does he hum them to while away sad afternoons
And the long, lonesome Sundays? Or sing them for spite?
Why should the Devil get all the good tunes,
The booze and the neon and Saturday night?

A.E. Stallings

Interesting Fact 28: Dead Man's Hand

In poker, a pair of aces is referred to by the term "Dead Man's Hand."  When Wild Bill Hickock was killed - shot in the back - he was playing poker, and in his hand he held two aces.

Interesting Fact 27: Cat of Death

(I realize the title might be a little misleading, but I like it.)

Oscar, a cat in a Rhode Island nursing home, can sniff out death among the elderly patients.  Normally antisocial, Oscar will jump onto a patient's lap and nuzzle the person if he senses the end is near.  The nursing staff have come to trust the cat's judgment, and call family members to tell them to make preparations when they spot a patient being nuzzled by Oscar.  So far the cat has accurately predicted 24 deaths.

I realize this is more of a story than a fact, but it's still interesting.

Sharing is Caring 11: The Last Beat of My Heart

In the sharp gust of love
My memory stirred.
When time wreathed a rose,
A garland of shame.
It's thorn my only delight.
War torn, afraid to speak,
We dare to breathe.

Majestic, imperial a bridge of sighs.
Solitude sails in a wave of forgiveness
On angels wings.

Reach out your hands,
Don't turn your back.
Don't walk away.
How in the world can I wish for this,
Never to be torn apart?
Close to you 'till the last beat of my heart

At the close of day,
The sunset cloaks
These words in shadow play.
Here and now, long and loud
My heart cries out.
And the naked bone
Of an echo says,
"Don't walk away."

Reach out your hands
I'm just a step away.
How in the world can I wish for this,
Never to be torn apart?
Close to you 'till the last beat of my heart.

How in the world can I wish for this,
Never to be torn apart?
'till the last beat.
Till the last fleeting beat of my heart.

- Siouxsie and the Banshees

Adios

Don't make this harder than this has to be.  I have to move on.  It's not you it's me.  I must say good-bye, dear alcoholic beverage.  (I pour all of it away.)
No more drinking.  Seriously...at least for a long while.

Very Cool!

I met the greatest old guy today.  Somehow we got to talking about books.  It kind of made me a little looking forward to grow old.  I want to be that cool.  I was telling him about Joe Hill, when he interrupted me.  He then gave me four huge boxes of sci-fi books!  Apparently he never met anyone that likes books as much as he does.
I'm very happy.  I just need the time to read them all.

Interesting Fact 26: Behind the Leafy Curtain

Feeling saintly for picking up all-natural laundry detergent?  Ironically, your next move will probably be more self-interested.  A study in Psychological Science found that whereas people act more altruistic after exposure to green (vs. conventional) products, they behave less so and are more likely to cheat and even steal after purchasing the planet-friendly variety.  That's because you earn moral "credit" by buying green items, says Nina Mazar, a researcher at the University of Toronto.  "Next time you are in a conflict-of-interest situation, you're more likely to do the selfish thing, because you've earned yourself some slack."

By the same logic, a Prius purchase actually might give you license to do more pleasure cruising, or an Energy Star sticker might lead you to toss in more frequent, skimpy laundry loads.  Says Markman: "Whether you actually succeed at conserving the environment by buying green is an open question."

Psychology Today
March/April 2011

Destination: Unknown

The sky seems to be deceiving me.  Is it the limit?  Hmm...not quite sure.  However, my options seemed to have dwindled with a bit of motivation.  Call me crazy, but I think it would be best to get out this rut.
Then there are the traveling options, some plans seemed to have fallen through, but the only plans that went right were the ones I didn't make.
So, let the chips fall where they may.  I'll be traveling some place I've never been.  Something new.  That sounds like a good idea.  Next destination to visit: Unknown.

Nicholas Alfonso Diaz

Interesting Fact 25: Population NY

There are a lot of people in NYC.  Seriously, no joke, there are a lot of people in NYC.